the parking lot
by caandle
Summary: Lucy's tired of being a pawn in her father's game and finds solace in a dimly lit parking lot once she's near her breaking point. Natsu's just a grocery store clerk trying to get through his night shifts but crying women are a weakness he doesn't know what to do with. Who knew smiles could be so blinding? NALU.


_the parking lot_

by caandle

* * *

Lucy rests her forehead against the wheel of her car, eyes fluttering closed. Her chest heaves with the effort of choking down the sob that's begging to be released but she won't. She _can't_.

It'll just stack another piece against her father's board, swiped from her until the whole game threatens to topple over. A lonely chessboard with one empty, blank side.

A game she's tired of playing.

Tears form in the corner of her eyes but she squints, fighting them off. Crying will get her nowhere and she's already too lost. Lucy clutches at the golden key strung around her neck by a thin, old chain; a familiar comfort that makes fighting the tears a little easier. A mother's last gift to her daughter who held it between her tiny fingers in awe, not yet knowing exactly the worth of the treasure in her grasp.

The last gift that she'd ever receive.

 _God_ , she'd give up anything to just hear her mother's voice, to be embraced by the arms of the woman who loved her with her entire being. Lucy hasn't been hugged in _years_. That fact, so small yet so shattering, breaks her self-control into a million little pieces. The dam breaks and Lucy sobs, alone, in the middle of an empty parking lot of a grocery store that's she's never been too.

She feels pathetic, so, _so_ pathetic, but she can't stop it. The tears fall and her heart aches with every gasping breath, and all she wants to do is curl into a ball and let the world just slip away. Just watch it dissolve until she can't feel how lonely, how tired of _pretending_ , she is.

There's a knock against her window which startles her so much she snaps upright with a loud shriek, knocking her head against the wheel painfully, the seatbelt digging into her neck. Her eyes snap over to the culprit: a man with a pink apron to match his – _pink?_ \- hair, knuckles raised against the glass pane. He mouths something she can't understand, words muffled between the barrier separating them.

Lucy sucks in a sharp breath, turning her head to not-so-subtly wipe away the tears and their trails. A quick glance in her mirror shows that she looks like a wreck; make-up smeared, black smudges under her eyes, blonde hair all frizzy and out of place. Lucy closes her eyes and gathers up the last bit of courage she has left, and rolls down the window of her car.

"Y-Yes?" She sniffs, wincing at how hoarse and strained her voice is. It's so obvious she'd just been sobbing her heart out. _Crap._

The shop clerk – at least she _thinks_ he is, by the apron and the name tag. _Natsu_ (if his tag is to be believed) scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, averting his gaze. "Been told by the owner to check out ya car, since it's been here for a while. He gets all suspicious when a car hangs around late at night."

Lucy blinks and is mortified to feel a tear slip. _"Oh_ , uh, I'm so sorry – yes, _yes_ of course. I'll just – I'll get going now."

Natsu clears his throat and steps back as she turns the engine back on, hands shaking. She anchors herself on the wheel, feeling the weight of it underneath her fingertips, to hold her together long enough that she doesn't have another breakdown before she's out of the parking lot. Lucy's not sure where she's going to go now – she has nowhere _to_ go. She's definitely not going to her house, where her father sits at his desk, sterile and cold. That house is no longer her home (and hasn't been for a long time), lacking the warmth and love that once resided within its large walls.

She's about to press on the gas when - "Shit, _uh_ , wait." A hand is placed on her door, the words hurried as he leans down to peer into the window once more. "Look, I know I'm a stranger but I can't just let a cryin' woman drive off in the middle of the night. My old man'll kill me."

Lucy freezes, eyes locked in front of her. The single street light flickers and suddenly she's crying again, tears flowing nonstop. She must look so wretched that even the _store clerk_ was trying to soothe her. That only made her cry harder, gasping as she struggled to keep breathing under the sobs wracking her body.

Natsu tenses, looking like he has no idea what to do with a crying random girl (which he likely doesn't), and swallows audibly. "Uh, lady? D'you wanna… I dunno, come inside? I can get ya some water."

"L-Lucy. The name's Lucy." She manages to get out somehow, still crying. The words are shaky at best but Lucy's just proud that she was able to speak at all. Once she got passed this catastrophe, she was never going to live it down.

"Natsu." He grins, showcasing fanged teeth with his too-large smile. It's so _bright_ and it nearly blinds her. She hasn't seen something to open and free in what feels like years, so the sight of it burns her. Lucy hiccups, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

"I know."

Natsu takes a step back, eyeing her warily. "Are ya a stalker or somethin'? Look Luigi, I've never met'cha before."

"What? As if I'd stalk _you_ -"

"Hey! What's wrong with me?" Natsu yelps, hand held to his heart as if betrayed.

"- You've got a name tag, idiot! And the name's _L-U-C-Y!_ " She huffs, crossing her arms irritably under her breasts.

"There. Gotcha to stop cryin', didn't I?" Natsu smiles, softer this time, and rests both his elbows against the door of her car. Lucy's eyes widen in surprise, fingers reaching up to brush against the corner of her eyes. She swallows another hiccup and offers him a tiny, wobbly smile of her own.

"Thank you."

"Hah! I was right." Natsu smirks, triumphant. She tilts her head sideways, confused and utterly lost. "You look better when you're smiling." Her cheeks bloom into a dusty pink, most likely intensifying her pitiful appearance, skin still blotchy and flushed from her crying.

She rolls her eyes at him although it's just for show. "Bet you say that to all the girls who's cried in this parking lot."

"Nah," Natsu breathes, voice light and underlined with amusement. "Just you."

Lucy's rendered mute at that, eyes blinking furiously, not exactly sure what to do now. She's saved, ironically, by the culprit of her sudden loss of words. Natsu glances back to the store where an elderly looking man has his face pressed up against the window pane of the store, eyes peering into the dimly lit parking lot.

"Aw, I gotta get goin' otherwise he'll make me sweep the floors for hours." Natsu shudders, nose scrunched in disgust as if that's the worst punishment he's ever heard. Lucy snorts at that before covering her mouth, horrified at the sound that just came out of her.

Natsu only gives her an amused look, snickering quietly under his breath. "I'll see ya around, Luigi!" Her jaw slackens, hanging open in disbelief. Natsu turns away, walking towards his workplace with a wave of his hand.

"MY NAME'S NOT LUIGI!" She shouts into the dark parking lot where only she, a girl whose heart ached with loneliness, and Natsu, an odd pink-haired store clerk remained.

The smirk Natsu shot over his shoulder told her that he'd done that on purpose.

* * *

 **A/N:**

This story was inspired by _thewritingstar_ on tumblr. She has a prompt list and I chose 16. which is _"Smells like you have daddy issues."_ I really enjoyed writing this so I hope you liked it as well! It's planned to be a three-shot but considering I have no self control, who knows what's going to happen. Definitely not me.

Thank you for reading!


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